Tag Archives: environment

Unfortunately, we do not have time machines to return to an era in which the Ice Age was beginning, but we can assume there were climate change deniers. Fast forward thousands of years and at the beginning of the 21st century there are those who believe any alterations in the climate, if they actually are happening, are most probably a good thing. A recent conference of deniers entitled: “Global Warming: Was It Ever Really a Crisis?” attracted hundreds to New York where they discarded any scientific claims as simply hysteria. A key not speech was given by Vacla Klaus, president of the Czech Republic and currently EU president, who believes efforts to deal with climate change are an attack on freedom. “the largest threat to freedom, democracy, the market economy, and prosperity, at the end of the 20th century and at the beginning of the 21st century, is no longer socialism. It is, instead, the ambitious, arrogant unscrupulous ideology of environmentalism.”

The forces of reaction and head-in-the-sand deniers are supported by hundreds of Washington lobbyists who seek to curtail any efforts to deal intelligently with the overwhelming evidence of global warming. There are now 2,400 lobbyists in Washington D.C. who constitute 15% of all lobbyists, and their goal is to head off the dreaded “tyranny” of environmental action. Reality is that words will not change their minds. Economic and political interests are their main concern and the world be damned.

There are still individuals in the world who will stand against the rise of modern Nazis like those environmentalists who want planet Earth to confront issues of pollution. Australian Senator Barnaby Joyce is among those who has principles and wants the world to know he will not back down anymore than George Bush has ever backed down from believing in WMD. Senator Joyce told the media, he belived those who seek to cut emissions in the name of environment are out to take jobs away from Australians and are just like Nazis who killed millions of Jews in the Holocaust. He warned of the rise of “eco-totalitarianism” and promised his constituents that he would not be “goose stepping” with modern Nazis.

I’m glad to find there are still some people in this world who have principles and will stand by them regardless of the fact their words are ridiculous, insulting and reflect ignorance and stupidity.

The continued loss of protected forests on Java could lead to serious ecological disasters on the densely populated island coast eventually costing billions of dollars. A recent study of Java’s forests discovered serious deterioration of 160,00-0 hectares of protected forests. There are large numbers of squatters in forests and illegal logging goes on nonstop. The loss of forests causes floods, landslides and drought due to climate changes and damage to the local environment. According to Greenomics executive director Elfian Effendi: “Damage to conservation and protected forests has affected at least 123 rivers and is threatening more than 10 million hectares of farmland and thousands of villages located along the rivers.” During the rainy season floods submerge many villages and farmland areas. There is need for balanced logging, but government efforts have not been successful in dealing with illegal efforts and the thousands of squatters who pry the area in search of wood.

Damage to forest areas invariably effects climate which leads eventually to ecological changes.

Chinese officials are claiming there are no environmental problems connected with building the Three Gorges Dam even though environmentalists have noted miles of mud slides and considerable erosion around the dam. There is no question, Chinese officials feel very defensive over a project that so far has cost about $23 billion. As they claim no problems, people in the area are daily encountering problems due to building this huge project without adequate thought concerning what its impact will be on the local environment. Perhaps, one day, when China has a truly democratic government issues such as pollution and environment will be discussed in newspapers and on the media. Until then, we can expect nothing more than everything is OK in the Chinese nation.

The European Union’s Commissioner for the Environment, Stavros Dimas was enthusiastic about the EU’s move to confront issues of emissions, but disappointed in the failure of George Bush and the United States to adopt a serious program on global warming. “We are placing out best bets on renewable energy,” said Dimas, “and we have committed to a 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020,” As far as the United States is concerned, Dimas commented: “The United States is now the country with the world’s highest emissions of carbon dioxide and energy use continues to grow. The effects are devastating..And I don’t understand why the Bush administration still refuses to take the steps that are obvious to everyone. A more climate-neutral economy holds great promise, not just for the environment, . This is now clear to many US politicians.”

Mr. Dimas is obviously unaware that President Bush has received information concerning global warming from the highest authority–God. In his dialogues with the Lord, the President has been made aware the entire topic of global warming is simply another liberal trick by do-gooders to halt the forces of American industry by worrying about a few glaciers that melt. There is absolutely nothing wrong with George Bush, his stupidity in inherent within his personality. How can you blame a man for being who he is?

Environmentalists in Chile are rallying to halt construction of massive new dams by an international conglomeration of American, Spanish, and Chilean corporations. Opponents fear the dams and accompanying transmission lines would be socially and environmentally devastating to pristine areas of southern Chile. Environmentalists believe Chile can attain its electricity needs through other means. Aquillino Olivares, a self described “campesino” who lives near the proposed site commented: “If we want to give Chile electricity, we have the northern desert where we can put up windmills and solar panels.” He noted people in his area use solar panels.

Chile, like many nations engaged in massive changes brought on by a rapidly developing economy require extensive energy sources. Ironically, as they economically expand there are coinciding environmental issues such as pollution of water sources and bringing changes to areas by constructing dams. China built the Three Gorges dam project and now has discovered it is causing devastating negative consequences to the local area include mud slides around the edges of the dam. It is estimated nearly 4 million people will have to be moved in the coming decade due to construction of these massive dams. Chilean environmentalists seek new ways of gaining access to energy sources without damage to existing physical conditions.

Former Vice President Al Gore will share the Nobel prize with the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for his outstanding efforts to alert the world to dangers of changes in the environment. “His strong commitment reflective in political activities, films, and books has strengthened the struggle against climate change” was stated as main reasons for winning the prize.

Perhaps, winning this prize can persuade Gore to take one further step in dealing with climate change by placing his name into the ring for the presidential nomination. A group of his supporters in the past few days have placed on ad in The New York Times urging him to take a shot at the nomination. At this critical time in the world’s struggle to control devastating effects of climate change, the voice of Al Gore is vitally needed.

The opening paragraph by Leonard Dolye of an article appearing in The Independent expresses European cynicism of George Bush’s attitude toward greenhouse emissions. “For the first time in 16 years a major environment conference opens in Washington hosted by the Bush administration. But no concrete results are expected, and that-say European participants- is the point of this high-level meeting.” Britain is not sending any high level diplomat to waste his/her time at a meeting called by the world’s worst polluter to undermine UN efforts at protecting the environment. It is politics as usual for Bush who is against the Kyoto agreement, against controls over emissions, and standing fast in protection of a status quo which urges polluters to continue their efforts to increase pollution.

This meeting is undoubtedly a Bush attempt to prove to the world he is “for the environment.” The president is a master at using words of the opposition to prove he is for policies he opposes.

A team of researchers led by Nobel prize-winning chemist Paul Crutzen discovered that biofuels emit up to 70% more greenhouse gases than fossil fuels. They calculated emissions released by the growth or burning of such crops as maize and sugar cane to produce biofuels releases twice as much nitrous oxide(N20) as previously thought. They estimate 3%-5% of nitrogen in fertilizer is converted and emitted rather than previously thought 2%. Professor Keith Smith of the University of Edinburgh commented: “One wants rational decisions rather than simply jumping on the bandwagon because superficially something appears to reduce emissions.”There is also the factor as corn is turned into fuel prices rise causing poor people to suffer. We have to continue investigating ways to reduce greenhouse emissions without using biofuels.